Friday, January 6, 2012

Ethnic plunder, Racism, Ethnic fantasy and Trannyism.

I wanna write something about people confusing "ethnic plunder" or "ethnic fantasy/fetishism" with racism. I always cringe when people throw out the word racist so easy when I really think quite often something might be "ethnic plunder" or "ethnic fantasy". Its often a fine line but racism means a negative of some kind, or slight, or hatred. I for one love ethnic plunder or fantasy but obviously think racism is skank. "Ethnic plunder" is aspects of a culture being appropriated for another culture. America is the most ethnically plundered nation of all. Which I think people forget or mistake but the fact that the entire world runs around in blue jeans and t shirts prove this. Ethnic fantasy is a lovingly projected fantasy or celebration of a cultures uniquisms. Its like a stereotype without the SLIGHT and slightly more risky then ethnic plunder. The artist Jean Paul Goude negotiates this very well. It scares people because it runs very close to racism but because its AWARE and done lovingly its NOT. I think what got me to write this was this "tranny is now a bad word" thing going around which I couldnt agree LESS with. I was speaking to my friend who IS a tranny (sexual not vestite) and we were saying how much we dont like blanket statement like this as though things couldnt be said lovingly or understandingly. I understand you watch reality tv and people are throwing the term around as an insult and therefore the general public needs to be educated that the comment is hateful and about REAL PEOPLE when used as an insult but I FOR ONE am NOT using it that way so DO NOT tell me what I can say. I was also super honored as I was telling my friend, who is transexual, that I think anyone on "the mones" is a tranny of some kind whether they going from one sex to another or just heading deeper into the same sex and she agreed and said I am most definitely A TRANNY! YAY!!!!!

1 comment:

There's nothing necessarily wrong with artistic or cultural inspiration from a group different than yourself.

But circumstances can make it wrong.

If you're a person of white European heritage, especially an American white, where there was a long history of racially degrading, derisive blackface in show business, where blacks are still a downtrodden minority, you couldn't do blackface without facing a strong, political reaction.

Even if you did it in an admiring way, your motives would be questioned and they'd have to be made clear.

I would never do it given the history. But it's okay for Grace Jones to do a portrait in gingerface because she's not shitting on a minority and there's no historical legacy of gingerface with a derogatory purpose.

Racism, appropriation and transphobia are all very different; subject to different moral complications, I think.

I also hate the war on the word "Tranny."

It's not a derogatory word and I have never seen anybody use it with the intention to disrespect or disparage the individual.